mohini Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 So we got our Cogat scores and, no surprise, my ds scored 99 percentile in Verbal and 74 in quantitative. I'd like to work on the quant. score. His math scores are in the 93-8th percentile for other standardized tests so I really think it's a matter of practicing the cogat format. What can we use for practice? Zaccaros ? SS intensive practice? What would be the best? Is there anything that has the same format as Cogat with the a/b/c columns? He wants to try for talent search in Jan. Would he qualify on verbal score alone? Any suggestions for practice? (wouldn't mind practicing the non-verbal as well.) He's starting grade 4. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Cogat is an ability screening test, not an achievement test. I don't know anything about qualifying for talent search, but color me unimpressed with the accuracy of cogat scores. You might post your question on the Accelerated Learning board. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 I wasn't really taking the Cogat score to be a predictor of anything other than how well my ds takes the Cogat. I'm a big believer that testing is a skill on its own - but I do think it's a skill worth developing (I'm sure many here will disagree but c'est la vie.) I will Xpost on the accel. learner board but I thought my question would get more airtime here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 How about a Cogat practice book? Amazon has several listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Why do you need improved cogat scores? Are you using them to apply for something? The reason I ask is it seems odd to work to improve an ability score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Why do you need improved cogat scores? Are you using them to apply for something? The reason I ask is it seems odd to work to improve an ability score. Yes - using them to apply for something but I don't see why it would seem odd to try to improve the score. The quant comp section of the Cogat is similar to the quant comp section in the GRE. Both can be improved with increased speed and application of test taking strategies. I don't believe that the Cogat tests "ability" (aka intelligence) any more than I believe that the ITBS tests "achievement." IMO they both require solid knowledge of the content in order to do well but almost any test score can improved by learning how to take the test better. My first job out of university was as an SAT tutor for prep school kids. I routinely saw jumps of 140+ points per section after working with kids, on test-taking strategy (and maybe some vocab.,) for 2-3 months. I think test-taking a valuable skill for kids to learn (though I don't believe it should be a primary academic goal as it is becoming in PS.) Learning test taking techniques requires logic-based strategies. I was really asking for specific recommendations of materials that other people had found useful in teaching strategy specifically for the Cogat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I agree that "knowing the test" is an enormous advantage in standardized testing, and I'm thankful for the great high school teachers who helped prepare me for success on college entrance exams. I have no direct experience with the cogat. My understanding was that it was used in GT screening for younger (less reliant the on verbal skills) students mainly for public school GT programs. I am not familiar with the other places the CogAT is used as a screening measure. There's something that makes me rebuff at studying for an ability test. Achievement yes, ability no. Once through the test gets you familiarity with the format, which seems an advantage in and of itself. Perhaps the CogAT is no longer a good ability test because the normalization has been skewed by over-exposure of testing components and subsequent efforts to study for the test. I guess I'm not up for playing the testing game. Assessments which evaluate ability or achievement are only valuable to me to help me understand my child's ability, weakness, and areas of concern. They're formative. I will play the game for college entrance, but if I were trying to get into a program for gifted kids based on CogAT scores which really didn't reflect ability, as you say, I would wonder whether the program or the cohort of students were really going to meet my child's gifted needs. That isn't a criticism. I'm more thinking aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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